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Outline

Most of the phenomena in nature are realized by the dynamic behavior of molecules. Among them, chemical reactions are critically important, which dynamically cause the cleavage and formation of chemical bonds and alter the nuclei arrangement within the molecules. Even non-reactive molecules are vibrating, which provides rich information about the molecular properties. Because the timescale of such molecular motion is femtosecond (quadrillionth), femtosecond spectroscopy is essential for elucidating chemical phenomena. Our team investigates the dynamics of molecules from fundamental to complex systems, as well as the molecules in special environments such as interfaces. We extend the frontier of molecular science through the development and use of advanced spectroscopic methods.

Fields

Chemistry, Physics, Biology / Biochemistry

Keywords

Ultrafast spectroscopy, Nonlinear spectroscopy, Single molecule spectroscopy, Dynamics, Interface

Subjects

1. Generation of ultrashort pules and development of ultrafast spectroscopic methods
2. Elucidation and control of molecular dynamics in the condensed phase by ultrafast spectroscopy
3. Observation and elucidation of molecular dynamics at interfaces by nonlinear spectroscopy

Selected Publications

1. Kuramochi, H., Tsutsumi, T., Saita, K., Wei, Z., Osawa, M., Kumar, P., Liu, L., Takeuchi, S., Taketsugu T., Tahara, T.: “Ultrafast Raman observation of the perpendicular intermediate phantom state of stilbene photoisomerization” , Nat. Chem. 16, 22 (2024).
2. Sung, W., Inoue, K., Nihonyanagi, S., Tahara, T.: “Unified picture of vibrational relaxation of OH stretch at the air/water interface” , Nat. Commun. 15, 1258 (2024).
3. Kumar, P. Kuramochi, H. Takeuchi, S. Tahara, T.: "Photoexcited plasmon-driven ultrafast dynamics of the adsorbate probed by femtosecond time-resolved surface-enhanced time-domain Raman spectroscopy", J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 14, 2845 (2023).
4. Chang, C., Kuramochi, M., Singh, M., Abe-Yoshizumi, R., Tsukuda, T., Kandori, H., and Tahara, T.: “A unified view on varied ultrafast dynamics of the primary process in microbial rhodopsins” , Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 61, e202111930 (2022).
5. Kusaka, R., Nihonyanagi, S., and Tahara, T.: “The photochemical reaction of phenol becomes ultrafast at the air–water interface”, Nat. Chem. 13, 306 (2021).

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